VS.
Retailers will tell you that both Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ are excellent mapping providers, and that both have their unique drawbacks and strengths. Not so in my experience: NAVTEQ maps ARE better in the U.S.
Time and time again I find major roadways that are inaccurate or missing altogether from the Tele Atlas map database. I've also noticed that devices with Tele Atlas maps tend to route me differently than devices with NAVTEQ maps, even if both devices have the same streets on the map. Tele Atlas is stronger in Europe, but in the United States you are better off getting a device with NAVTEQ maps on it. Period.
To show you what I mean, take a look at the table below:
hmmm
not sure if this points to the data being bad.
it very well could be the routing engine.
NavTeq is better than TeleAtlas. TeleAtlas is a non-US based company, NavTeq is, so naturally, NavTeq IS better is the US whereas it isn't so good in other countries. I completely agree with all that Fletch has said about the 2 companies. Both are not 100% accurate and they do have their problems, but overall, NavTeq is superior. I remember using a MapQuest (I used it) like service compared to others of its kind and others, printed the maps off, and the TeleAtlas maps were inaccurate, NavTeq was SLIGHTY innacurate, but I found my destination eventually. Being in the Portland Metro area commuting to Portland, OR is my worst fear, I'm glad to have a Garmin GPS with NavTeq maps. Now, if TomTom WANTS better ratings on top of what they have now, I HIGHLY suggest they open a US based location of R&D (Reaseach & Development) and the works, that way, TomTom can cater for Europe exclusively and TomTom US can cater for the US exclusively. They have great potential, if they only got things working right. I mean, look at Garmin. Garmin decided to go with a 4.3" screen compared to the 4" screen on the TomTom GO 910. Garmin KNOWS what is going on, and as each company puts out their best interests in functions and gadgets in a GPS, competition is going to get stronger, thus make you WANT to gobble every great GPS coming out. Nontheless, ALL GPS devices in the US, NEED, no it is MANDATORY, to use NavTeq mapping. We (me and whoever agrees) are getting tired of GPS's cluttering store shelves with slow performance and cluttered design (Magellan off the top of my mind), with some outdated technology. We want innovation, not garbage.
My experience with NAVTEQ is the same as the ones posted in this thread. My friend's development has been there for 10 years and isn't in the NAVTEQ data set. Overall I am not impressed with the NAVTEQ data except in the cities.
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=53419
I cannot comment on the quality of one map vendor vs. another, but it looks like the folks above have done their homework.
I would point out however that it's difficult to tag either firm as being US-based or European-based. NAVTEQ was created by the Dutch Philips corporation and they still garner most of their revenue from European navigation systems. Although TA is based in Europe, they bought two very American companies to acquire their North American datasets: Etak and GDT. Much of the previous Etak and GDT workforces are now TA employees here in the US.
I had a similar experience with TeleAtlas maps on a handset application that was shown to me by an associate. He asked for my phone number which he entered into his phone. Out popped my home addess. Good so far. He then pushed a button that created a route from our current position to my home. The route got us there -good again. But as we examined the detailed map near my destination, the map clearly depicted a street going right through my backyard. That street had been plowed under 9 years ago when the subdivision was built. Below the map was a credt: (c) TeleAtlas.